A Midsummer Night's Rave (2002)

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Two Strobe Lights Up!The mischievous and dark classic tale by William Shakespeare is re-imagined in filmmaker Gil Cates Jr.'s adaptation. Music, drugs and romance are the forces behind A Midsummer Night's Rave, a high-energy film about the complicated "love square" between four adolescents and fueled by a teaspoon of teenage angst, a cup of lack of communication, a few tablespoons of lust, and a pinch of ecstasy. Without a doubt, this is the most provocative modern-day retelling of A Midsummer Night's Dream, the popular play written by Shakespeare. Cates Jr. has been the only one to hit the nail right on the head with this adaptation. The film retains the barest skeleton of the original plot while directly straying from its dark aspects in favor of a more charming and daring approach.Thanks to compelling performances led by Chad Lindberg and Glen Badyna in flawless character execution, the Cates Jr. release proves highly entertaining despite the heaviness surrounding the story that inspires it. Chad Lindberg portrays the infamous Nick Bottom who delivers nothing less than the comedic relief expected from his character and Glen Badyna plays Puck, the one responsible for the trouble that ensues. It all begins with Mia, the girl next door dating a rich socialite playboy that her mother wants her to settle down with and eventually marry—Damon. Enter Xander, Damon's counterpart, your typical shaggy-haired teenager without a penny to his name and the owner of Mia's heart, but not to his knowledge. Similarly, Xander secretly yearns for Mia but withholds this information from everyone except his best friend, Helena, who just so happens to be Damon's ex-girlfriend— feelings included. Mix all of these ingredients together at a forest-themed rave complete with seductive beats, a rave master, and his drug dealer's latest "love potion" and you have a recipe for excess. By switching the setting from a forest to a forest-themed rave in the city for A Midsummer Night's Rave, but leaving the characters and main plot intact, Cates Jr. caters a message to younger audiences and offers an alternative solution to dealing with problems faced by the youth: a solution that surprisingly does not involve drugs. Although this may seem out of place for a plot taking place mostly at a rave, it breaks down stereotypes and allows for a new generation to build interest in an author most often thought to be archaic and boring.You don't have to be familiar with Shakespeare's play in order to enjoy this film—although it allows for the understanding of some subtle jokes—but it goes without saying that Cates Jr.'s film will take you on an enchanted ride that leaves you with a sudden urge to dance the night away. Oh what a tangled web we weave! A Midsummer Night's Rave should prove to be a box-office hit with anyone who has a sense of rhythm and humor. But if you're easily offended by casual drug use, then you might want to think twice about catching this tempting flick!

Well I don't know where to start about this movie... I love it soooo much. It is very off beat and un balanced just like a normal rave would be. Not really an Andrew Keegan fan but I didn't have to look at him that much. Lol. This is one of my favorite movies ever! I have bought this movie probably about 5 different times cause I led it out and watch it sooo much! There's nothing to say more about it except that I watch this constantly. Im a big techno freak so when im cleaning my house and stuff i just clean to the beat.. I thought this was a well thought out movie and the fact that Dj Irene was in it made it one hundered times better.. I also really liked the commentary that she did. I love it I love it I love it!!!

I've never read or seen A Midsummer Night's Dream, so the comparison is lost on me, but if you've been to a rave (and under the influence while there) this movie rocks. The acting (during the rave) is pretty amazing, and until I saw the "behind the scenes" from the DVD, I wondered if some of them were really on something (drugs). It was very good acting except that the characters seemed to be able to become completely lucid when they felt like it (and who would want to at a rave?). Some of the scenes were so realistic, I give this movie high ratings. The plot was actually more of an interruption, and I would have preferred watching people dance for two hours of uninterrupted hardcore 90s techno. There were three aspects of this that made it real, the dialog (at times during the rave), the music, and the lighting (alright, the camera work at times made it real too: the jump cuts of the guy looking for his jacket as he walked through the crowd, and the girl, Amanda, who came out of nowhere and started kissing Xander--their dialog was perfect: "what are you doing?" "what do you mean?", and their mannerisms as they went back and forth is something you will have seen or experienced if you've been to a few raves). The music was awesome, I spent hours looking for the soundtrack and still can't find it (I'm guessing there isn't one... I read an interview with one of the DJs in the movie (DJ Irene) who said the hardest part was straightening out licensing issues, so maybe that's related to there being no soundtrack available). I watched the credits and searched for the 50 or so songs that were listed, and haven't found much. What a bummer. The lighting is also great, and really captures the mood. There are parts where everything has a blue, washed-out look, which is cool, but the music is barely audible, and that kind of prevents a viewer from being able to maintain the feel of the rave when the movie goes to the blue areas. However, the lighting looks good and when Xander finds Elena in the blue area, their conversation and acting is dead-on, right down to the "did I just say that?". The lighting when Damon is feeling it kicking-in and watching Elena is perfect. The glistening bodies bouncing up and down while the music jams is great, and the different colored lights falling across them, almost changing the way they look, will be like a flashback for those who've been there and done that. The only part that was better (in my opinion) was when Xander was feeling it while dancing with Elena. When he says, "I'm loving this" and it blends in with the music, it's absolutely perfect. The worst part was that it stopped. The music changed and suddenly I was wishing for two hours of a continuation of that scene.Other highlights were the guy (Nick) who took too much, especially at the end where he asks the girl (Brit), "Are you real? Why, why, why would you be talking to an ass?" His mannerisms were truly authentic except that when she started talking about her next gig he seemed able to shake it off and become straight and coherent again. Not very realistic for someone who is still hallucinating and thinking he's a donkey. It was also interesting when Nick was walking through the crowds and started jumping to the music. Definitely something people who have been there will recognize: the inability to not be affected by the jams, even if you're just walking from point A to point Anywhere. Dialog could have all been more like Elena when she said she wanted to kiss Xander, she just kind of breathed the words out. That was convincing.If you've been there and want to remember, this movie has bits and pieces that will bring it back. If you haven't been there, you may or may not enjoy it.

I just finished watching this movie at SXSW. I believe this was a final cut. The movie is very loosely based on the book. This is a movie in which you should read the book (A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM) in order to get the subtle jokes. However, as it's own entity, the movie does stand on it's own. The movie has good Rave shots which won't require stoping and rewinding. There are some very good moments especially Puck and Devon. This was a good film with a killer sound track. I would recommend watching this movie with a very light heart.